The Wild Wild West at Birch Park

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 August Bank Holiday 2026




🤠 YEE-HAW! The Great Wild West Rally & The Inflatable Cow Chase! 🐮

What a sensational weekend! An incredible team of marshals put on a non-stop, action-packed long weekend that had all 28 units laughing from start to finish.

We arrived on Friday afternoon (we were unit 24 of 28) and pitched up right alongside a magnificent, sprawling tunnel of event tents. From the second we stepped out of the car, the welcome was so warm we felt right at home immediately.

Upon arrival, we were handed a length of blue rope with strict instructions on how to tie a proper lasso... Little did we know how desperately we’d need those rope skills by Sunday! 🤠


🎬 Friday Night at the "Saloon"

At 7:00 PM, chairs in hand, we moseyed over to the Wild West Tunnel—complete with straw bales framing the entrance and a full "Cowboy Bar" backdrop! It set the mood perfectly for our Friday night movie. There were plenty of gasps, heaps of chuckles, and the usual brilliant club banter to kick off the rally.

🥓 Cadac Sizzles & Zoo Adventures

Saturday morning opened with the undeniable, heavenly aroma of bacon wafting across the field. In true camping tradition, Cadac BBQs were fired up everywhere for proper sizzled breakfasts!

After fuelling up, everyone headed out to explore. We popped just a mile down the road to Colchester Zoo for a fantastic day out.

By 5:30 PM, it was time to get "suited and booted" Wild West style! Out came the cowboy hats (including some fabulous pink ones!), leather boots, and check shirts. We gathered back in the Cowboy Bar tunnel for a feast fit for the trail: crispy corn chips, hot dogs, trays of donuts, and BEANS—lots and lots of BEANS! 🫘

Watching a field full of cowboys and cowgirls eating beans together was an absolute sight to behold!


While rain postponed our planned outdoor line dancing, country tunes filled the air and kept the saloon vibes going strong late into the night.

Luckily, the rain cleared by Sunday afternoon so we managed to fit the line dancing in after all—a big thank you to James for getting us all moving!

🎯 Sunday Western Games: Tin Cans, Plungers & Pure Chaos!

Sunday's itinerary simply read "Western Games", but "games" was an understatement!

Teams faced off in a gauntlet of hilarious challenges:

  • 🐎 Horseshoe Pitching

  • 🎯 Archery & Plunger-Throwing at the Bull

  • 🔫 Tin Can Alley Shootout with Water Pistols

  • 🪢 Lassoing the Wooden Bull

Participation was sky-high, with children and adults running from station to station having an absolute ball. But nothing prepared us for the final challenge...

Suddenly, Tanya appeared in a massive, giant inflatable cow costume! 🐮

Steve shouted the magic words: "LASSO THE COW!"


Absolute hilarious mayhem erupted! Adults and kids alike sprinted across the field in high pursuit, swinging their blue lassos through the air, trying to snag the runaway cow. It was side-splittingly funny and the absolute ultimate way to wrap up the games!

🏆 A Western Farewell

On Sunday evening, a wonderfully exhausted gang of cowboys gathered in the tunnel for a light quiz by Steve, followed by rapturous applause for our brilliant marshals.

A MASSIVE thank you to our legendary Sheriffs and Marshals:
⭐ Sheriffs Steve & Tanya
⭐ Marshals Den, Lynn, Barry & Sue

You did an absolute top-tier job hosting us. Yee-haw to the next one! 🤠🌾














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